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With Ahsoka having been and gone now, I felt it appropriate to take a deep dive into a iconic vehicle of the clone wars. The All Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE) appears throughout the prequel era - from Attack of the Clones, to the bad batch, and even Ashoka- this particular rendition depicts a key moment in the saga: "The time has come, execute Order 66"
Minifigures
This set includes 8 figures:
- 3 Phase 2 212th legion clone troopers,
- a Phase 2 clone gunner,
- phase 2 commander Cody,
- 3 B-1 Battledroids.
Phase 2 Clone Trooper x3
In the set you get the generic phase 2 212th troopers. The torso and leg printing on these are amazing - a great mesh of the animated and live action designs. I do also love the current clone faces, based directly off of Temuera Morrison. The face print is significantly better than any other generic clone faces we've gotten before. However, the helmet used is a highly controversial point of this figure. For those unaware, a set of 1mm holes was added to either side of the helmet to allow accessories to attach to the helmet, these were moulded above the pre-existing faux holes. Whilst I'm not going to delve into the controversy here what I will say is: yes there is an inherent play value to the helmet holes, however, the holes are inaccurate for every figure without a visor or macro-binoculars. In addition, the base of the triangle on the helmet is cut off: this is pretty rubbish as, not only is it inaccurate, not only do we know Lego is capable of printing this properly (see 2014 212th trooper), but Lego had the audacity of falsely advertising this detail on promo images. Overall, a decent figure marred by a glaring issue.
Phase 2 Clone Gunner
Like the 212th trooper, this figure merges animated and live action details to create a great figure which unfortunately is held back by the inaccuracy of the helmet holes and the less accurate printing when compared to the 2017 figure
Phase 2 Clone Commander Cody
Now, onto probably the best figure included. Cody keeps up the merged styles of the previous figures for the torso and legs. Unfortunately, Cody's backpack is printed rather than being a build or mould, so looks weird and 2D in comparison to the rest of the details. Cody also gets an exclusive face print, better recreating the character, however the lack of an alternate hair piece or palpatine hologram means you can't recreate the iconic 'Order 66' scene with this figure. The helmet figure is the only in the set to effectively use the new helmet holes: with the visor effectively covering the inaccurate element, but this lacks the antenna of Cody's helmet.
B-1 Battledroid x3
Lastly, there are three standard Battledroids included, they have only had a single change since 1999 (they gained a straight arm on 2007), but are still basically great. They make wonderful fodder for the clones and AT-TE well.
Overall, the selection of minifigs is excellent, with a higher than average quantity of figs for a star wars set of this size. The set really embodies the term 'super-battlepack' giving a satisfying, but not overwhelming number of figures for the set.There is some diversity in weapons as well to really give you options. Unfortunately, the flaws in minifigs are glaring.
Building Experience
The process of building this model is a smooth and satisfying one, with everything seeming logical and clever. You start by building the mini droid army, including a dwarf spider droid, this gives a sense of completion very early on. In addition, the minifigures are still distributed making this a not overly taxing build which can be built with your choice of Star Wars on in the background.
Overview
The AT-TE is pretty great, it is by far the most accurate rendition of the vehicle we have received from Lego. There is seating for 9, control panels for immersive play and storage for weaponry. It has a variety of features which are well integrated and it feels like a complete package, with a bit of opposition for the main build to tear through.
Accuracy
As I've mentioned, this is undoubtedly the most accurate official Lego AT-TE set. The shaping of the armour plating is on point, with minimal gaps or random colours sticking through. Even the handle and stud shooters are properly integrated, so don't massively ditract from the models overall external appearance. Internally, it's not perfect, prioritising play over display, but the cockpit and gunner seats are technically correct. On the droid front, a dwarf spider droid is included, however the set depicts the battle at Utapau - where there are no spider droid present - so a crab droid would've been a more accurate inclusion.
Play Features
Working from one end to the other, the play features include: the cockpit can slide out to allow access to a pilot seat; the front turrets swivel; all the legs move back and forth; panels at both ends lift up to reveal seating areas, at the front there are two seats on a removable tray and, weapon racks and storage containers, in the back there are five seats - one of which with a gunner position - there are also weapon racks in the back; in the centre of the vehicle there is a carry handle (which is slightly behind the centre of gravity); atop the vehicle is the iconic main cannon with two axis of motion and two stud shooters for additional play.
Building Techniques
While not being an overly complex build, there is enough going on for the model to not be boring to build. A range of hinges are used in order to allow all the panels to match up with minimal gaps. The highlight of all the build techniques is the snot (studs not on top) used to create build the window into the front of the AT-TE.
Conclusion
So, whilst being a set marred by controversy, the 75337 AT-TE is undoubtedly the best rendition of the Star Wars vehicle ever released by Lego. It's a fun build with accurate detailing, a whole bunch of play features, and a really great selection minifigures (which are kind of fumbled in their execution). For its price point the AT-TE is excellent value and if you want one for your collection then this model is the cheapest current option of all officially released AT-TEs.